Fluorescent lighting fixtures typically have a plastic diffuser (i.e., lens) attached to the fixture housing so as to enclose the fluorescent lighting tubes and to diffuse the light in the most advantageous manner. When the diffuser is in place, the fluorescent lighting tubes, ballast, fixture wires as well as any starter units, are entirely enclosed within the fixture. These fixtures are normally provided with mounting mechanisms for mounting the diffuser to the housing. Typically a mounting mechanism is attached at each end of the diffuser. A mounting mechanism consists of a pair hinges pivotally mounted in a spaced apart relationship at an end of the diffuser. The bottoms of the hinges are coupled to each other via a spring. A hook extends from the top portions of the hinges.
The problem with current hooked hinges is that they sometimes "hook" onto wires located in the housing making disengagement of the hooks from the housing difficult. Moreover, sometimes the fixture wires block the upward movement of the hooks preventing them from disengaging from the openings. Furthermore, hooks hook onto the socket plate and as consequence require that the diffuser is lifted during dismounting to free the hooks from the socket plate. As such, a mechanism is desired that would allow for easy mounting and dismounting of the diffuser from the fixture housing, preclude the hooking of any wires in the housing and eliminate the requirement of lifting of the diffuser for complete dismounting.